Come on now. I think Robert is now entitled to his own appreciation thread. He has had a difficult year; the (Dutch) press was awfully hard on him after last years tour; it was said that he had a weak character and wasn't hard enough to be a winner; he has had the overcome the death of his father.

I like the guy. He comes across as humble and hard working. He's a rider that shows emotion and you can see when he's suffering.

Dekker_Tifosi wrote:Hopefully a good Tour de France. No falls, no bad luck. He could suprise many if that happens

Not really. Without bad luck top 5 wouldn't be too much of a stretch. Unless you think he can win lol.

Ryo Hazuki wrote:horrible. boonen just the same guy as years before and this course is too hard for him. that's why he rode like a coward there were at least 3 guys stronger than boonen today and none of them won: sagan, ballan, pozzato

The Hitch wrote:Goss will woop boonens candy a[color="Black"]ss[/color] in a sprint he cares about, any day of the week

Without bad luck, yeah he can win.There is no Contador. Andy is worse than ever. Only Evans and Wiggins are the biggest problems thenIt's an open Tour this year anyway. Vandenbroeck could win too. Nibali too...

BYOP88 wrote:Great to see that Porte has rediscovered his 2010/11 climbing form. Hope he can keep it for the rest of the Tour and year.

I still think it's amazing you can win a race with this in your leg. The guy is really a hard worker, he just never gives up. That's what I like about him, it's inspiring. I don't really consider him a Tour favourite though, IMO you need a better foundation and buildup to your season to do well in the Tour.

I think expectations after this Tour of California might be a bit too high for some people. I like Gesink, I would be elated for him if he wins the Tour one day, but I don't think it will be this year. His road to recovery has been a long one, and like he said himself, he's not there yet. Like youngest said, he would need a better foundation in the build-up to the Tour in order to be considered among the favorites. I would love for him to surprise me and prove me wrong though I'd be more than happy to eat my words. He really is a hard worker, not many are more honest than this guy on a bike either. He really suffered for the win in California, inspiring indeed.

He is a great rider with a good attitude. Always pushes himself to the limit, always races for a good result and it's about time he starts winning the important stage races.

I doubt however if he can do top 5 in the TdF this year. He is still recovering from his fracture and his form is good but I don't think he has his top level back in July. And there is of course a big risk he crashes again in the tour, hope he finally has some luck this year on that front.
On the other hand, he is a great climber (after Alberto and Andy maybe the best in the peloton?) and his ITT has improved a lot. So maybe...

Leonardus wrote:He is a great rider with a good attitude. Always pushes himself to the limit, always races for a good result and it's about time he starts winning the important stage races.

I doubt however if he can do top 5 in the TdF this year. He is still recovering from his fracture and his form is good but I don't think he has his top level back in July. And there is of course a big risk he crashes again in the tour, hope he finally has some luck this year on that front. On the other hand, he is a great climber (after Alberto and Andy maybe the best in the peloton?) and his ITT has improved a lot. So maybe...

There are many that can be put in the same bracket after Contador and Shleck 2.0. I don't think we can really judge Gesink's real level at this year's Tour though.

Captain_Obvious wrote:it was said that he had a weak character and wasn't hard enough to be a winner

That's a ridiculous thing to say about ANYONE at pro tour level, even the genetically gifted have to work like dogs to get anywhere.
It just shows you the true nature of everyone and everything involved with "journalism" - from any nation. Never let the truth get in the way of selling more papers/ratings.

DominicDecoco wrote:That's not an internal motor in the leg is it? I sincerely hope not. That would be kind of wrong.

...and I sincerely hope you are joking. It just goes to show how much he has had to overcome to get to this point. Really glad he's getting back to his old level and even made quite a step in his time trialing. Now if he can just up another level in his climbing he would be duking it out with Conti and Schleck.

Gesink at his best both in climbing and TTing would definitely be one of the top favourites for the Tour. Up there with Evans (and possibly Wiggins, if he's just as good in the high mountains - maybe we'll know after the Dauphiné).

The question is whether he can be at his best so soon after his injury, and whether his climbing has gone back to its 2010 level.

theyoungest wrote:I still think it's amazing you can win a race with this in your leg. The guy is really a hard worker, he just never gives up. That's what I like about him, it's inspiring. I don't really consider him a Tour favourite though, IMO you need a better foundation and buildup to your season to do well in the Tour.

+1

good to see where it is at, But the tour will be too much for him I suspect.

hrotha wrote:Gesink at his best both in climbing and TTing would definitely be one of the top favourites for the Tour. Up there with Evans (and possibly Wiggins, if he's just as good in the high mountains - maybe we'll know after the Dauphiné).

The question is whether he can be at his best so soon after his injury, and whether his climbing has gone back to its 2010 level.